The Thin Blue Line is a phrase and symbol used by law enforcement. The phrase refers figuratively to the position of law enforcement in society as a bulwark between order and anarchy. The symbol depicts a thin blue line, representing law enforcement, against a black background, and is commonly used to express solidarity with police, to commemorate policemen who have died in the line of duty, and to symbolize the relationship of law enforcement with the community as the protectors of the community from criminals and victimization.
The symbol is simply a thin blue line upon a black background. The blue line is intended to represent law enforcement. The entire emblem is intended to represent the police as a thin blue line that stands between anarchy and law and order, and is primarily used as a mark of respect for fallen policemen.
Proponents say that the idea behind the graphic is that law enforcement is a Thin Blue Line that stands between chaos and order or between criminals and the potential victims of crime, and it is primarily used to show solidarity with police. Opponents note that the representations of the public and the criminals as black bars on either side of the blue line are identical, and suggest that the symbology ironically represents a police vs. everyone else mindset.